An Essay on Feminist Area Studies in Japan

Abstract

Are feminist area studies possible in Japan? This article defines “area studies” as practical research that uses the “Global South” concept. At the same time, feminist standpoints aim to eliminate vulnerabilities with intersectionality, the crucial concept of an “anti-oppressive approach” which initially came from “critical race theory.” Thus, feminist area studies can be defined as the practical study of vulnerable people in a focused regional area using an “anti-oppressive approach.” Like other academic fields, area studies in Japan have problems that are reasonably subject to criticism from a feminist standpoint. However, this essay attempts to reconcile the two frameworks. By seeking solidarity with many people in the “Global South” who have fallen victim to calamities. It appears that many of whom are women and children, to position and explain the lived experiences of individual women within the globally, nationally, and locally multilayered power structure and the context of cultural and rapid socio-economic changes, we can deepen the methodology of area studies. Scholars and practitioners in feminist area studies who consciously take an “anti-oppressive approach” to support vulnerable people also possess the constructive power to facilitate multicultural coexistence, solidarity, and empowerment in the post-COVID era.